BLUES WINGER GEORGE Moala will make his Test debut and veteran scrum-half Andy Ellis earns a recall after a four-year absence in the All Blacks team for Wednesday’s historic Test against Samoa.
Ellis celebrates with Carter during the 2011 Super Rugby final. Source: Tertius Pickard
Moala and Ellis, whose last Test was the 2011 World Cup final, are among nine players who were added to a 41-man pre-World Cup squad to compensate for injuries and the unavailability of 17 players involved in Saturday’s Super 15 final between Highlanders and the Hurricanes.
Three other late additions — Nepo Laulala, Brad Weber and Charlie Ngatai — are set to make their debuts off the bench in the team named before the All Blacks departed for Apia today.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has said he wants to field as many players as possible either against Samoa or in the Rugby Championship Tests against South Africa, Australia and Argentina before his World Cup squad is named at the end of August.
He described Samoa as an “ideal challenge” to start their build up and has taken no chances with his forwards selection naming an eight with a combined 634 caps.
It is the same Richie McCaw-led pack that started the World Cup final four years ago with the exception of the now retired Brad Thorn whose place is taken by Luke Romano who already has 17 Tests under his belt.
Source: EMPICS Sport
However, the backline has more of an experimental look given the absence of several seasoned players from the Wellington Hurricanes and Otago Highlanders. Israel Dagg has won the fullback slot despite missing most of the Super rugby season because of injury.
Outside scrum-half Ellis is Test centurion Dan Carter to guide a backline with Sonny Bill Williams and Ryan Crotty in the centres and Charles Piutau on the left wing and Moala on the right.